My *almost* 10.10 Baby Birth Story, Part 2

We arrive at OB/Triage around 12:15am. On our 15 minute drive Chris and I had pretty much sent a text out to everyone we know. This was the real deal. I'm led to a room where my first nurse says to me, "Ah, you just missed 10.10.10!" I say something nice back like, "Wow you're right. I hadn't thought of that at all today. THANKS!". They do some sort of test to see if my water really had broken. Apparently there are crazy women who come in and lie about their water breaking hoping they can stay, so telling them your water broke is not enough. I try to get comfortable in my temporary room, start dreaming about what my little girl will look like and the nurse returns and says,

"Well I'm not sure. The test is inconclusive. I even had another nurse look and neither one of us saw any fluid. I'm going to have to run another test that's more accurate."

My heart drops. I start questioning my sanity. Again. All I know is I'm not going home. With all the calls we had made there's no way on earth I'm calling them back to say I was wrong and maybe I peed on myself. NO WAY! She leaves, I cry. It didn't help that just a couple hours early some man friend of Chris and I's jokes with me about my prior hospital trip and says, "Haven't you had three kids before? Don't know when you're actually in labor?!" That's running through my mind over and over as she takes another test. I was supposed to hear back in 10 minutes but God, fully aware of my declining emotional state, had her come back after two. I wasn't crazy after all. We were having a baby today.

It's 1am and I'm wheeled upstairs to my room. Time to start the penicillin drip. My contractions were coming consistently and they were painful but the penicillin made my arm burn and hurt to the point where I wasn't sure what I'd be getting an epidural for first. Chris at this point has gone completely downhill. We were quite the pair. Once we were settled I released him to go to sleep. I think he was already asleep before I gave him permission. He was out. Drugged. Occasionally he would wake up and sneeze a bunch of times, check if I'm ok, then fall back to sleep. The nurse at this point left me alone. Our room was dark and I sat breathing through contractions by myself for a few hours. I was so thankful that I had put together a playlist of songs for my labor. The songs were my friends, reminding me of God's truth, comfort and that I was not alone, despite how I felt. Eventually, all the wires attached to me, the increasingly painful contractions, my sick husband asleep on the couch, got the best of me and I was done. I woke Chris up crying asking if I could call someone else who wasn't sick and drugged to come sit with me and help me through. I couldn't do this alone anymore. I was dead serious. His response, "Why don't you get the epidural." Oh how we laugh about this now. I didn't laugh then. I heard it as, you don't need support, you need an epidural. Not quite how he meant it. The nurse, who Chris and I affectionately call, The nurse who saved our marriage, walked in. It had been a few hours since I was checked. 6 almost 7 cm and fully effaced. She offers the epidural and I decline. My amount of pain had not increased to the point where I was no longer afraid of the epidural. I'm weird I know but I can't stand the thought of the epidural. With each one I've ended up no longer caring about my fears and wanting it. I wasn't sure I was there yet. She sat on my bed, put her hand on my leg and reminded me that my time to get the epidural would soon pass and in her opinion if I want it, now's the right time. I listened. By the time it took the epidural man to get to my room I was truly ready! You forget that they are not just stationed outside your door waiting for your word. It takes them at least a half hour to get there, set up, get it working. The fear was gone.

Rest. It was about 6 am. I could relax. At least half of my body could rest. The other half was doing better but I didn't end up with a completely successful epidural. I no longer hated the IV's and wanted to rip them out. I lay my head back and close my eyes and in a matter of minutes awake to hammers, nail guns and all sorts of construction equipment. The hospital was undergoing some construction and they chose the room beneath mine to begin in. It literally sounded like someone was shooting a gun up into our floor. No rest for the weary. The nurse comes back and I'm at 9. Lights on, nurses of all sorts start coming in and prepping the room for baby. Happiness and excitement creep in. My doctor comes and pushing begins. I'm told one more push and BANG, HAMMER, BANG. The doctor and nurses look at each other in disgust and disbelief, like where are we?! I'm laughing. Alexie is born. Those were sweet moments. I was so happy to have my beautiful, healthy, baby here. I counted her fingers and toes. She looked like every one of our other kids when they were born. But she's her own person. The kids came in shortly after and our family was all together. I had looked forward to this part for nine months. After a little while everyone headed home and I'm wheeled into a very small recovery room.

Recovery. I'm greeted by an older nurse who literally won't stop talking. Granted I haven't slept in 24 hrs but even my husband who had slept was in disbelief at her candor. She rattles off a list of things I should and shouldn't do now that my baby is here. She begins with,

"Don't sleep with your baby. Just last week a mom slept with her baby and rolled over on her and suffocated her."

WHAT Did she seriously just say that to me... I wonder.

She continues on, "Also don't fall asleep holding her, I had a girl do that too and she dropped her baby on the floor and he had a concussion.

She continued on for what felt like eternity. Telling me things like, use an emery board not nail clippers, and never use formula because it takes over 8 weeks to get out of their system. Chris and I had already talked about having the nursery give her a bottle that night so I could get some rest. It was unbelievable. I was so happy when 7pm rolled around. I sent Alexie to the nursery for some sleep and carpet cleaning began at 2am in the room next to me. 48 hrs. of no sleep. Because I was Group B strep positive Alexie had to stay in the hospital for a full 48 hrs. I asked and begged to go home but my pediatrician said no. Alexie had to stay. Therefore I had to stay. The last night and day Alexie continuously set off alarms. The little security foot tag kept slipping down. I'm grateful for the security but this got a little annoying. Especially since every time she set it off they'd come in, unbundle her, which always sent her into a fit of screaming, and then they'd tighten it back up. Which also sent her into a fit of screaming. By the time I got her calmed down and back to sleep the alarm would go off again.

I've never been more grateful and excited to return home from giving birth. Usually there's a little fear in me in adding another little one into life at home. Not this time. I knew there would be challenges but anything would be easier then the three days I spent there :)

So all of that to say... If I end up having a home birth with my next you will know why :)